Saige

 Saige by Jesse Haas is an American Girl novel. The middle grade novel follows Saige who loves to paint and ride horses with her Mimi. Saige is looking forward to starting the fourth grade and taking art class. On the first day of class, Saige’s best friends, Tessa, reminds her that they only get art class every other year due to the school’s budget and that this year is a year they get music. This disappoints Sage so she and Mimi put together a plan to raise money to have after school art classes. They start planning a fiesta as a fund raiser. Things are going good until Mimi falls and breaks her leg. Since they’ve been back at school, Saige and her best friend, Tessa. So Saige relies on the help of her new friend, Gabi, to help her with the fiesta.

I was browsing at half-price books- seeing the american girls books made me feel nostalgic. I’ve always known about the new dolls that have come out and I’ve even seen a couple of the more recant movies but I hadn’t picked up any of the books. When I saw that Saige was only 2.49, I decided to pick it up.

The thing I loved most about Saige was how simplistic the writing was. It was straight to the point. There were no unnecessary characters, no unnecessary sub plots and, perhaps my favorite thing everything in the story concluded. There were no loose ends.

Something I really loved was the part of the story that talked about Saige and her best friend Tessa growing apart. This is something that happens not just in the fourth grade. It reminded me of my best friend and I our senior year in high school. The book handled this story line in a realistic way.

Thats something else I loved about this book, it handled situations in ways that would be

Saige Girl of the Year Doll 2012

realistic for a ten year old. I feel like in the young adult books I read that doesn’t happen. So it makes me really happy that in this particular book, that did happen.

This book wasn’t trying to be hip. It wasn’t packed with pop culture references on every page and it didn’t use the lingo. You have no idea how much I appreciate this. It’s something I find in a lot of the books that I read that are for the younger audience and I hate it so much.

I really enjoyed reading Saige, I gave it 4/5 stars. I would defiantly recommend this to girls who are in elementary school but really, it’s a story for everyone.

There is a sequel Saige Paints the Sky and I’m definitely going to be picking it up sooner rather than later. Also, not gonna lie, I’m definitely going to be reading more of the American Girl stories that I have not read and reread some of my old favorites!

Who is your favorite American Girls? Mine growing up was Molly.

Much Love,

Kate